Balancing daily life as a new immigrant to Israel with anticipating the geula.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

The Blessings Of Aliyah

Traditionally, the set of blessings we say in the morning are understood as thanking God for meeting our basic, daily needs.

When I was pregnant with my second child, I noticed that all the blessings reminded me of some aspect of pregnancy and childbirth. The child that was born from that inspired pregnancy is nearly 15 today, but I remember that, at her naming ceremony, I gave a dvar Torah in which I related each of the Birchot Hashachar, each of the morning blessings, to the experience of pregnancy and childbirth.

Recently, with aliyah and geula on the brain as much as pregnancy and childbirth was 15 years ago, I see new things in those same morning blessings.

Blessed are you, Hashem our God, King of the universe Who gave the heart understanding to distinguish between the day of geula and the night of galut.

Blessed are you, Hashem our God, King of the universe, for not having made me a gentile who doesn't get to have a totally unique relationship with the Land of Israel.

Blessed are you, Hashem our God, King of the universe, Who releases the bound from the hold their lives in the diaspora have on them.

Blessed are you, Hashem our God, King of the universe, Who straightens the bent who have been carrying the weight of exile on their shoulders all these centuries.

Blessed are you, Hashem our God, King of the universe, Who has provided me my every need and demonstrated to me that I simply don't need as many material possessions as I thought I did.

Blessed are you, Hashem our God, King of the universe, Who firms man's footsteps and who makes every fourth footstep in the Land another mitzvah.

Blessed are you, Hashem our God, King of the universe, Who girds Israel with strength to thrive in the face of ubiquitous threats from our enemies.

Blessed are you, Hashem our God, King of the universe, Who crowns Israel with splendor very soon, please God, when the Moshiach arrives and clarifies the true spiritual role of the Jewish people.

Blessed are you, Hashem our God, King of the universe, Who gives strength to the weary who must work a while longer before accumulating sufficient merit to ascend to the Land.

Blessed are you, Hashem our God, King of the universe, Who bestows beneficent kindnesses upon His people Israel and brings us Home.

Yasher Koach, I know that you are bringing much light and life to this dark and painful exile, but I am also sure that through your pure emunah in Hashem Yisborach, we will sure see the coming of Moshiach Bimheyra B'yameinu and the return of all the holy yiden back to our Tati's palace, both lmala v'mata, Amen!